Damira didn’t know how much more heartache she could handle.
Her husband had recently abandoned her and left her to raise three small children on her own. Her pantry was bare, and she was running out of money to buy food for her family.
Although a Muslim, Damira had never been very devout. But the young mother felt desperate for a breakthrough. One cold morning, she left her children in the care of her sister and walked a couple of miles out of her small city to an ancient tomb in the middle of the desert.
Buried in the tomb was a man regarded as a Muslim saint. Like many other Muslims in her city, Damira believed that the man buried there had achieved a special closeness to God. Many people saw the tomb as a sacred shrine where they could seek God’s favor by praying in the saint’s name.
Damira spent two solitary weeks at the tomb, crying out to God for help.
At night, Damira felt petrified. She feared the evil spirits that were said to linger around gravesites after dark. She huddled against the cold exterior of the tomb, pleading with the saint to keep the spirits away from her.
She slept in fits. But each time sleep overcame her, Damira dreamed of a Man who called her to follow Him.
“I will show you the right way,” He told her. She woke up from these dreams feeling flooded with peace.
Shortly after returning home, Damira met Rayanne, a Muslim-background believer. Rayanne came from a nearby city where Frontiers team member Karla lived. Karla had told Rayanne about Jesus and started studying the Bible with her. Then Rayanne gave her life to Christ. She felt called to bring His message to people who had no Gospel witness. So Karla started coaching her to make disciples. After a couple of years, the small body of local believers in Rayanne’s city sent her to share Christ in Damira’s town.
Rayanne invited Damira to watch a movie about Jesus. Damira agreed to see the film, even though she had never heard of Jesus.
The movie started with Jesus’ birth and His early years. But when the story jumped ahead to Jesus being baptized as an adult, Damira began shouting, “That’s Him! That’s Him!”
Rayanne paused the film.
“That’s the man who came to me in my dreams!” Damira exclaimed. “That’s the man who met me at the grave!”
Damira told Rayanne about her prayers at the tomb in the desert. Then Rayanne suggested, “If Jesus told you that He’ll show you the right way, then let’s see if this film can teach you more about that way.”
Damira cried as she watched Jesus be crucified and buried in a tomb. Then she stared in awe as He defeated death by returning alive from the grave. At the end of the film, she heard Jesus’ words, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
When the movie was over, Damira told Rayanne that this was the first time in her life that she felt loved by God. He had heard her, and He wanted her to be with Him—so much so that He sent Jesus to show her the way. Without hesitation, Damira gave her life to Christ.
Soon after, Damira was baptized. She came out of the water with her arms lifted in praise and joy filling her face.
Rayanne and Damira meet often to study the Bible, pray, and encourage each other. Damira is a bold witness who loves to tell her story of how God drew her to Jesus. She’s also started a Bible study to introduce her Muslim neighbors to Christ.
Damira still struggles to provide for her young children. But as she raises them to be disciples of Jesus, her home is filled with hope and joy.
- Praise God for meeting Damira in her desperation and for sending a believer to point her to Jesus Christ.
- Ask the Lord to provide for Damira’s family. Pray that she and her children will become joyful witnesses who invite many Muslims into the Kingdom.
- Pray for more Frontiers teams who will go and live in Muslim communities to spread the Good News of salvation through Christ.
**This account comes from a long-term Frontiers worker. Names and places have been changed for security.**
Original article: https://frontiersusa.org/blog/life-in-death